Wayward
by Kayestorm
Summary: [AU] Sora gives up everything he knows to be with his boyfriend, only to be dumped and abandoned. Sora struggles to piece together a new life for himself with the help of those around him. But as they help Sora put together his life, they realize maybe their own lives need a bit of work, too. [SoRiku][Axel/Roxas][Cloud/Leon]
1. Chapter 1

**Summary **[AU] Sora gives up everything he knows to be with his boyfriend, only to be dumped and abandoned. Sora struggles to piece together a new life for himself with the help of those around him - including a brazen new boss, his rampaging brother, and the friends that get caught in-between. But as they help Sora put together his life, they realize maybe their own lives need a bit of work, too.

**Pairings **Sora/Riku, Axel/Roxas and Cloud/Leon - I have the story listed under Sora & Riku, since Sora kinda sets the foundation of the story, but I hope to spend just as much time on all three couples. x)

**Disclaimer** I don't own Kingdom Hearts or these characters - the original inspiration from this story also came from The Ramen Girl, which, if you've never seen it, is totally worth watching. :D

Rated M for later chapters!

**[1]**

The tram jostled slightly as it rumbled through Twilight Town, and Sora glanced around anxiously. It had been three weeks since he'd moved to the city, and the sprawling areas and rush of activity still daunted him. He was used to the slowness and general calm of his home back on Destiny Island, where he'd grown up and gone to school. But he had given that up, left behind the life he knew, and moved to Twilight Town for love. He would have done anything for Marluxia, whom he'd met only his second day of college.

After dating all through university, they had promised they'd make their relationship work after graduation. But when Marluxia's work took him away from the islands and off to bustling Twilight Town, that suddenly became a much harder promise to keep. Long distance was stressful, and it weighed on Sora's heart every day. Now, though, they were finally together again.

Deep blue eyes flickered over to the clock fastened to the high wall of the tram, and a small frown tugged at Sora's lips when he saw that he was already late. He'd agreed to meet Marluxia at a club, but hadn't counted on getting lost. After getting turned around countless times, he'd finally gotten himself on the right tram.

The car slowly rolled to a stop on the lower side of town, where most of the bars and clubs were located. Sora filed out behind a group of teenagers, somewhat nervously looking around. Thankfully, just a short ways down the street he spotted the club, marked by a bright neon monstrosity reading _Wonderland_. He quickly made his way inside, only to be greeted with a mass of people. It took a little bit of time, but thankfully Marluxia's unusual pink hair made him easy enough to find in the crowd.

Sora had been hoping for a night out with his boyfriend; even since he'd moved out to Twilight Town, they'd had very little together time. Unfortunately, when he reached the table where Marluxia stood beckoning, there were three others gathered around the high-top table as well. After a brief introduction, they returned to their conversation, leaving Sora to try and figure out what on earth they were talking about.

The night dragged on with cruel sluggishness, Sora's normally exuberant personality stifled by the awkwardness of unfamiliarity. Marluxia was constantly running off and leaving him, wanting to talk to this friend or that friend or make a new business contact. Finally, though, late into the night, Marluxia returned and slipped an arm around Sora's waist.

"Sorry, love. Business, you know." The strong scent of alcohol washed over Sora as Marluxia leaned close to speak to him.

Immediately, though, Sora brushed it all off and smiled brightly. "It's no problem," he assured cheerfully.

Both of Marluxia's arms wrapped around him, one hand splayed over his abdomen and the other slowly drifting to his inner thigh. "Mm, babe, the things I want to do to you," he murmured lowly, causing the shorter boy to laugh and blush. "Let's get out of here."

The trams had stopped running, meaning they had to catch a cab back to the apartment. Twenty minutes later, Sora struggled to pull his now nearly-comatose boyfriend out of the taxi, the taller man's weight nearly tipping him over. Before he did end up tripping to the ground, however, Marluxia's heavy weight suddenly lessened. Looking over, Sora saw that another man had grabbed Marly's other side, supporting most of his weight on strong shoulders. Layered chunks of brown hair fell around the man's face and shoulders, messy bangs partially obscuring stormy grey eyes and a most peculiar scar.

"Ah, thanks," Sora grinned, relieved when he recognized the helper. He'd only briefly met Leon a few days ago, and his next-door-neighbor had quickly struck him as the loner type. But he was grateful for the help, and the two began the journey of carrying Marluxia up to the fourth floor. So much for sex tonight, he thought, trying to blow Marluxia's long hair out of his face.

* * *

Sora awoke slowly, carefully blinking bright eyes open against the glare of sunlight intruding through the window. As he rustled to sit up, the first thing he noticed was that he was very much alone in bed. At the sounds of movement out in the living room, he quickly got to his feet and walked out to find Marluxia.

"Marl...? What's going on?" he asked, face pulled in confusion as he looked at the scene before him. A bag sat in the middle of the living room floor, while Marluxia currently finished packing up the last suitcase. At Sora's voice, the pink-haired man glanced over, but wasn't to be distracted from what he was doing.

"Oh, Sora. I got a call from my boss. They want me working on a project over in Traverse Town. I've already got a train ticket, I have to be there right away," he explained hastily as he pulled the zipper on the luggage. A beeping cell phone then grabbed his attention, and he snatched it up to check the latest email from his boss.

"You're...already leaving again? Well, I can come with you this time! I mean, I'm still looking for a job, so I won't be missing anything. We'll be able to explore Traverse Town together." Sora smiled, already starting to get excited about the trip.

"You can't come with me," Marluxia immediately protested. "It's going to be all work, I won't have any time for you. Seriously, it'll be no fun for you, and I have to focus on work."

"Well...how long will you be gone? Is it just a few days?"

Marluxia sighed heavily, pocketing his phone and finally turning his focus to Sora. "I don't know, Sor," he admitted, "it could be a few weeks, or maybe even a few months."

"So, what? That's it? You're just running off and leaving me here?" Sora asked slowly, brows knitting together in consternation. Was this...really happening? This couldn't possibly be real, it just _couldn't_.

"Look, Sor...I thought it'd be cool, you moving out here with me. But, honestly, I'm just not sure about it anymore. I need to be focused on my job right now, and I don't really have time to keep up our relationship. It's just a really hectic point in my life, you know? This is what _I_ need to do."

Sora still stood in the doorway, struggling to find the words to say. He watched as Marluxia hoisted his bag over one shoulder and picked up his suitcase, tears quickly welling in his eyes. Now this seriously had to be a dream. Marly _wouldn't_ do this to him. After everything they'd been through, there was no way it was ending like this.

As Marluxia started for the apartment door, he followed after him, only just barely managing to wrap his mind around what was happening. "But, I _love _you. Please don't just run off like this. Marluxia. You're just moving out and leaving me again?"

"I really can't have this conversation right now, Sora, I'm going to miss my train. If you love me, you'll understand. I have to go. But I didn't say I'm never coming back." The pink-haired man stopped just before the door, half-turning to look back at his boyfriend. "Don't be sad, okay? We'll see how long this project takes."

And without another word, or really any of goodbye, he was gone.

Sora stood alone in the apartment, struck with the whiplash of Marluxia's abrupt and heartless departure from his life. The tears began to fall, and once they started, there was no stopping them.

* * *

"Hey, Marly, it's me again. This morning...everything happened so fast. Could you please just call me back? Let's talk about this, okay? I love you."

Sora ended the call, slipping his cell phone into his back pocket once again. That was the fifth message he'd left already, and he'd still yet to hear anything from the other man since that morning. It was already autumn and the air was chilly, but Sora barely noticed - he'd been mindlessly wandering the streets of the city for hours. He was nearly back to the apartment now when a sudden crashing noise and loud shouting caught his attention.

"Well if you'd just done it _right_ the first time, I wouldn't have to do it again! You know what? You're fired! That's right, get the hell out! I'd do better business hiring a damn monkey instead of you!"

Someone burst out of the building directly to Sora's right, and nearly bowled him over in their angry rush. Startled, Sora stumbled to the side, eyes wide as he looked at what was apparently a bakery right next to him.

He hadn't gotten a look at the worker who'd run past, but the man now standing in the bakery's doorway had to be one of the strangest creatures he'd ever seen. The man towered over Sora's own short stature, his body solid but lanky. He had a shock of firetruck red hair, as if a very angry porcupine had just crawled atop his head one day and simply decided to stay there. His face was still slightly red - he'd clearly been the one just yelling. Purple tattoos stained his flushed cheeks just below his eyes, which were a bright acidic green and promptly shifted to look at Sora.

"Heh, you want a job, kid?" he asked sardonically, clearly not expecting an actual answer from the passerby.

Yet, given his situation - alone in a nice, two-bedroom apartment with no job - Sora wasn't going to make light of any opportunity. "Sure, if you're offering," he answered seriously, expression as open and innocent as ever.

The bakery owner blinked, caught off guard, and pushed out his lips in a moment of thought. "Okay. Guess you can't be worse than that last idiot. Be here at six tomorrow morning." He then turned away and shut the door behind him, flipping the 'open' sign to 'closed' without any further discussion.

For the second time that day, Sora felt as if he'd just been suckerpunched...or hit by a high-speed bus. He'd lost the love of his life in a matter of minutes, and now he had a job in seconds. He promptly decided that the city was very, _very_ weird.

* * *

I'll put up the second chapter, since it's nearly done, wherein Roxas and Cloud make their appearances!  
Please let me know what you think~! (:


	2. Chapter 2

**[2]**

It had been two weeks since that fateful morning when Sora's world had gone spiraling down.

A few more phone calls to Marluxia had yielded absolutely nothing, and Sora finally realized it truly was the end. He still cried sometimes at night, and the hurt felt as fresh as ever, but he was learning to cope. The taciturn Leon had taken pity on him and invited him over for dinner a few nights; admittedly, the slightly older man didn't say much, but the company was at least a welcome relief from the lonely apartment.

The spontaneous job at the bakery had also fared much better than Sora could have hoped. He learned that his boss was named Axel, and his personality easily matched his wild appearance.

Sora was at work that day, carefully arranging pastries in the front case, when the front door banged open and a short, angry blonde came huffing into the bakery. Sora looked up in shock, and was even more surprised when his met with an identical pair of dark blue eyes.

"Sora," his brother growled in way of greeting.

Oh no. Having spent his whole life with the short-tempered Roxas, Sora knew all the signs of an angry twin. And an angry Roxas was a scary Roxas. Of course he wondered what his brother was doing here, and how on earth he'd found him, but there were clearly more pressing matters to deal with first. Namely the rage boiling off of Roxas.

"_First_, you randomly announce you're moving off to Twilight Town to be with Marluxia. And _then_ you don't even _bother_ to tell me what that asshat did to you? Where is he?! I'll kill the bastard! I'll show him-"

"Hey! No screaming in the shop!" Axel called loudly as he walked in the front door just behind Roxas, barely-there eyebrows pulling together in a frown and his arms clutching a large box of supplies he'd just gone to pick up. Clearly he was the only one allowed to shout.

"Who are you? You look stupid," Roxas snapped - when in one of his anger-clouded hazes, he didn't always differentiate between the person he was actually mad at and the people who just got in his way.

Sora quickly opened his mouth, "Roxas, that's my-"

"Oho, I look stupid? Take a look at yourself, kidlet."

"Rox, this is-"

"Who the hell are you calling 'kidlet'? I'm a grown-ass man, you asshole."

Axel stared intensely down at the short blonde before his face suddenly broke out in a grin. "You're a feisty one, aren'tcha? I like you," he decided happily, then turning and carrying the box off into the backroom.

Sora half laughed, half sobbed as he ran a hand through his spikey hair. "That's, uh, my boss."

His anger momentarily diffused by confusion, Roxas only managed a profound, "Oh."

* * *

"I really wish you'd called me."

Tame now, Roxas munched on a chocolate croissant as he stared across the table at his twin. Perhaps he had realized his rage would get him nowhere, or maybe it was just the chocolate.

He and Sora had always been there for each other, and he was honestly hurt that Sora hadn't called him when things went bad with Marluxia. Rather, he'd found out from overhearing a couple of the pink-haired asshole's old friends talking about it back home on the island. As soon as he realized what had happened, of course, he stampeded off to Twilight Town without a moment's hesitation to find Sora. And when he wasn't at his apartment, his neighbor told Roxas where he could find him, and shortly thereafter Hurricane Roxas had come storming into the bakery.

"I know, I'm sorry," Sora apologized meekly. "I just wasn't ready to talk about it. Being new here, no one really knows me, so I haven't had to talk about it. I'm just trying to get myself on solid ground again. But really, thanks for coming out, Rox. It means a lot to me." He smiled softly.

Before their conversation could go any further, however, the moment was ruined when a certain redhead dropped into a chair at the same table. "So, _Roxas_, huh? Sora didn't mention he had a brother," he observed with one of his cat-like grins, emphasizing the name.

The blonde jabbed a finger at an elderly couple standing at the counter. "Shouldn't you be waiting on your customers?" he asked derisively, eager for the other man to be gone again.

Axel raised his eyebrows, noting the cutting tone in Roxas' voice, but hardly seeming bothered by it. "_Well_ then." Nonetheless, he stood and sauntered over to the counter, greeting the couple with a charming smile and hurrying to fulfill their order.

Roxas watched him walk away for a second, a frown set solidly on his lips.

Sora laughed. "He grows on you, promise. Axel's a good guy, even if his personality comes off a little strong," he explained. His brother, meanwhile, responded simply by rolling his eyes and returned to eating his pastry.

"How long are you staying, anyway?" Sora then asked curiously.

"Oh, yeah, about that. I figured since I'm a programmer and can work from just about anywhere, I'd move out here with you. I saw you had an extra bedroom in your apartment, so I already dropped my stuff off in there."

Sora opened and closed his mouth a few times, stunned by Roxas' terribly _casual_ way of informing that he'd just moved himself in. He had plenty of questions for his brother, but the first that came out was, "How...did you get into my apartment?"

"The door was unlocked."

"I lock my door every morning."

"Well, underneath the doormat is a really stupid place to keep your spare key."

* * *

A week after Roxas arrived, they had fallen into something of a routine. Roxas worked out of the apartment, but stopped by the bakery for Sora's break every day. Axel also delighted in taking that daily opportunity to both heckle and hit on the blonde, which so far had earned him several glares, a smack upside the head, and a cupcake to the face.

The days were all very similar, but they were nice, contenting days, and that was exactly what Sora needed. So, of course, it was a bit of an upset to the regular routine when a tall blonde walked into the shop one day, a giant and undoubtedly heavy sword swung casually over his back. A pair of biker glasses covered his eyes, but his gravity-defying, pale yellow spikes drew enough attention on their own.

Sora gaped from where he sat at a table eating his lunch with Roxas, mouth hanging open and letting his last bite of sandwich fall back out. Classy. Was this some psycho, come to kill them?

Axel, however, started laughing loudly from his place behind the counter and dismissed Sora's deer-in-headlights expression. "Don't worry, that's just my roommate, Cloud. Seriously, man, you shouldn't just walk around with that thing."

"I wouldn't _have_ to if you hadn't _broken _it. I've been going around the city all day, trying to find someone who can fix it," the man, apparently Axel's roommate growled lowly. "I swear, Axel, if I can't get it fixed, you're dead."

Axel frowned. "It's not even noticeable," he insisted. At his words, they both looked at the sword, which had scorch marks all over the blade and what Cloud suspected was food dye on the hilt. Honestly, he didn't even _want_ to know what Axel had been doing back at the apartment that had messed it up.

"Yes. Just like new," the blonde monotoned, turning his glare back on Axel.

"Aw, c'mon, Cloud. How many times do I have to say I'm sorry?"

Not meaning to eavesdrop, but not really trying _not_ to, either, Sora perked up when he heard the conversation. "I know someone who can help!" he offered cheerfully. "My neighbor, who lives across the hall from me. He mentioned once that he owns a weapons shop. His name's Leon. I'm sure he could fix your sword."

"Oh, yeah?" Cloud asked, his deep voice calm yet melancholic as he turned to look at this boy he didn't know. With a quick once-over, he took note of the apron and bakery t-shirt the brown-haired boy was wearing. Ah, Axel's new lackey. Er, employee, that was. "Thanks. Where's his shop?"

Sora stared blankly, blinking owlishly. "Uh..."

"You never asked, did you?" Roxas pointed out dryly.

But Sora promptly recovered. "That's okay," he quickly said, waving his hands dismissively. "You should just bring it over to the apartment, I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

Axel closed his eyes and began nodding, as if this had been the obvious course of action from the start. "Yes, of course. We'll have a get-together at your place tonight," he announced, still nodding stupidly. "You can take Cloudy here to get his sword fixed, and Roxas and I can-"

"Who the hell _are_ you?" Roxas snarled. "Don't just invite yourself to other people's homes. There's no way you're coming over. "

Sora laughed sheepishly. "Well, Rox, since you're going back to the apartment now anyway, why don't you just take Cloud with you? It's a short walk. And it's Saturday, so Leon will probably be home."

Roxas didn't look thrilled by the idea, but it was at least preferable to having Sora's crazy boss over. So, after a long moment of thought, he acquiesced with a nod. He stood, said goodbye to Sora, and waved for Cloud to follow after him. As they walked down the sidewalk, he couldn't keep himself from asking, "How do you live with that guy?"

It took Cloud a moment, but he realized "that guy" meant Axel. "He's not so bad," he said with a smirk, giving a nonchalant shrug. "He grows on you, I guess."

Roxas snorted - Sora had said the same thing. He knew what that meant: saying "he grows on you" was the polite equivalent of "he's a total idiot, but you just kind of get used to it." Then again, now that he considered it, maybe the obnoxious redhead and this Cloud were perfect roommates. They'd made it about a block, and all along Cloud had been walking totally casually with the sword on his back, completely oblivious to the many stares he received. Roxas huffed to himself, wondering why Sora could never find _normal_ people to get chummy with.

When they made it back to the apartment (Roxas quickly rushed Cloud by the concierge in the lobby, hoping to draw as little attention as possible), Roxas pointed Cloud toward Leon's door. "Well, there you go. That's where he lives. Er, good luck...or whatever." He paused awkwardly for a moment, thought about saying something more, but ultimately decided to just disappear into the apartment he shared with Sora without another word.

Focused on one thing and one thing only, Cloud didn't seem bothered by Roxas' disappearance. He knocked loudly on the apartment door, only suddenly wondering if this was okay. It was honestly probably _very_ weird to be showing up at some stranger's home, giant sword in tow, and ask if it would be restored. Ah...but it was too late now, anyway, since the door was already opening.

Truth be told, Leon had been a little confused when he heard the knock at his door. He kept to himself, just the way he wanted it to be, and so didn't get visitors often. Perplexed, though hiding it well behind his typical mask of stoicism, he stood up from the couch and walked to the door. Swinging it open, he was met with the very last sight in the world he expected to see. "...Cloud?" he asked, unable to keep the sound of pure and utter confusion out of his normally deep, rough voice.

* * *

Soo, opinions, anyone? Continue? Don't bother? xD


	3. Chapter 3

**[3]**

With Axel making some excuse or other, he had left the shop just after Roxas and Cloud, leaving Sora to tend the bakery alone until he returned.

Sora hated times like this - times when he was alone. With the others around, it was easy to act like his old self, cheerful and happy. But the truth was, he wasn't doing so well. He worked long shifts every day so that he could work and not think. And then he went home so he could sleep and not think. But here he was, alone, not even a customer in sight, and he had nothing to do but think.

He had no idea where his life was going. Sure, a lot of that was because of the apparent breakup. But it was more than that, too. What did he have to show for himself? He'd followed his boyfriend's passions all the way out here to Twilight Town, and look where that had gotten him. Screwed over, that's where.

Some part of him still believed Marluxia would return. But even if he did, could things be the same? As much as Sora hated to admit it even to himself, as _weak_ as it made him feel, he knew that if Marluxia walked in through that door right now, he'd find a way to forgive him.

And just as that thought crossed his mind, a figure did appear in the doorway, pulling the door open with a soft jingle. Sora's breath caught in his chest for a moment, but as soon as the figure stepped out of the glare of the sunlight, he saw it wasn't Marluxia. Of course it wasn't.

Silver hair spilled over his shoulders and down his back, long bangs almost obscuring aquamarine eyes completely. Everything about him, from his relaxed posture to his lackadaisical (albeit somewhat haughty) expression, sent off a _chill_ vibe which inexplicably calmed Sora even from across the room.

Realizing that he was staring blankly, Sora quickly put on a bright smile. "Welcome to Paopu Heaven! Can I-"

"Ah. You must be the new guy."

"Huh?" Sora blinked, thrown off both by the sudden interruption as well as the words themselves. He'd never seen this guy before, how did he know that? "Are you a regular here or something?"

"Ehh, not exactly. This is my first time in here." The silver-haired man laughed as he said it, brushing the long bangs out of his eyes.

Sora looked puzzled, but before he could say or ask anything more, the stranger continued on. "I've actually just stopped by to give this to Axel," he explained, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a star-shaped keychain. "I found it with some old stuff...I thought he might want it."

"Oh! You're a friend of Axel's."

The stranger quirked his head, and a small smirk sat on his pale lips. "Something like that."

A bemused expression flickered across Sora's face, but he decided to let it go. "Well, Axel's actually not here right now. But I can give it to him, if you'd like," he offered with a smile. He accepted the keychain as it was handed over, tucking it under the counter to keep it safe. He'd have to remind himself to tell his boss about it.

"You looked sad," the stranger suddenly accused, apparently referring to Sora's expression when he'd first walked in. How had he even seen that?

"What? Me? No way. No sad face here," he laughed awkwardly, realizing he was on the verge of babbling. Wasn't his smile convincing enough?

The man looked at him for a long moment, not seeming to mind that he was flat-out staring. "Whatever it is, cheer up. You're too cute to be sad," he finally said. And with that, no further explanation of who he was, he turned and started walking out of the shop.

It was a spur of the moment thing; the words slipped from Sora's mouth before he even knew that he was thinking them: "What's your name?"

The stranger paused, raising his chin up and glancing back over his shoulder. "Riku," he answered before disappearing out the front door.

* * *

Cloud stared for a long moment, unable to believe the person standing before him was actually there. The name Leon was unfamiliar, but the face certainly wasn't. His hair was longer, and he was a little bit older, of course, but he was unmistakably the same man Cloud had known years ago. He still dressed in black and wore the telltale lion's head pendant around his neck. Not to mention the unforgettable scar right down the middle of his face.

"Leon, is it now?" were the first words Cloud managed to get out, quirking an eyebrow. When Sora had mentioned a Leon, he hadn't thought anything of it. He'd never known anyone named Leon. Once upon a time, however, he _had_ known a Squall.

Leon responded with a wry smile and a one-shouldered shrug, though didn't offer any kind of verbal explanation of the apparent name change. Nonetheless, he stepped back, opening up the doorway so that Cloud could come inside. The reunion was a bit awkward, not like one of those movie reunions where things fall right back into place. But that was only to be expected - neither knew the other even lived in the same city, let alone so close.

"Haven't seen you since..." Leon started, but then let himself trail off, glancing away from the blonde when he realized where that sentence was going. _Since the funeral_.

Cloud shook off the comment, instead focusing his attention on looking around the apartment. The place was typical Squall. Er, Leon. It was immaculately clean and sparsely but functionally furnished. There were no pictures or any sort of "homey" touches. It was blank, distant, turned off from the world. Very much like the man that lived there.

To be honest, Cloud didn't know what to think of their relationship, or this reunion, for that matter. They weren't exactly friends anymore, yet once upon a time, they had spent a lot of time together. As a matter of fact, it had all started with Zack.

...

_Cloud hiked the backpack further up on his shoulders, his thumbs hooked around the straps, as he made his way across the carefully manicured campus. One of the downsides of having a boyfriend who attended Hollow Bastion Military College was the fact that he could only visit on the weekends, which always felt far too short while the weeks in between dragged on._

_He followed the familiar path across campus until he reached The Castle, the school's oldest dorm and current residence of his boyfriend, the black-haired Zack. Upon reaching the dorm building, he made his way up to the second floor and down to the very end of the hall, where Zack's room was located._

_When he walked into the unlocked room, he already knew Zack wouldn't be there. He'd been called off on a spontaneous drill that morning, and he'd called Cloud to let him know he wouldn't be back until the afternoon. His roommate, however, was lying on his own bed, one arm tucked behind his head while the other propped up a book on his chest._

_Squall was quiet and introspective - more a thinker than a talker. Certainly nothing like the vivacious and talkative Zack. Truthfully, when they'd first met, Cloud could hardly believe that he was Zack's best friend and willing roommate. But when Zack was busy, he was nice company, and he understood Cloud's need to just _be_ sometimes - no small talk or chitchat, just silent companionship. On most weekends, his girlfriend Rinoa joined them, and the four all hung out._

_"Hey," Cloud called over casually, already sliding the backpack from his shoulders and dropping it onto the floor._

_Squall glanced up from his book just long enough to direct a brief nod in Cloud's direction. As far as his greetings went, that one was particularly friendly._

_He made himself comfortable on Zack's neatly made bed, knowing he had at least another hour to wait before his boyfriend returned. "Squall?" he asked as he leaned back on the pillows._

_"Hn." That was a yes, or at least what the other boy deemed adequate for one._

_"What's the deal with the swords?"_

_The other boy gave a breath of laughter and laid the book down flat. "Zack never told you? Everyone here chooses a signature weapon to train with. Guns, swords, staves. Zack has a Buster sword, I have a gunblade. For us, they're like our identities around campus...our most important possessions. Zack probably doesn't even let you touch it, does he?"_

_Cloud snorted and shook his head. "Nope."_

...

"Do you make a habit of carrying that thing around?" Leon's words abruptly cut into Cloud's thoughts, drawing him back to the present moment.

Realizing what Leon was referring to, his eyes widened as he suddenly remembered why he was there in the first place. "Oh." How could he have forgotten about that? "That's why I'm here, actually. Someone had mentioned that you might be able to help...My, uh, roommate sort of messed it up..."

Giving the damaged weapon a cursory once-over, Leon inclined his head in a slight nod. "Give me some time. But yeah, I can fix it. It's _his_, isn't it?"

Cloud only nodded silently, knowing the question really didn't need an answer anyway.

* * *

"He sounds fuckin' _creepy_."

Sora and Roxas sat on stools at the kitchen counter, eating the last of the spaghetti Sora had made. They did have a kitchen table, but thanks to Sora's messiness, it was buried under a mountain of _stuff_, and neither particularly wanted to deal with cleaning off the thing.

Sora shrugged slightly, not sure how else to explain what had happened at the bakery earlier that day. "I guess you'd just have to meet him." Something about Riku was just...undeniably alluring, something Sora had felt in his presence.

"What, are you looking for another boyfriend already?"

"_No_," Sora glowered. What he wouldn't tell Roxas, however, was that, while he meant that no, he wasn't entirely sure whether it was because he genuinely wanted to focus on getting his life together, or because he couldn't get over that small part of himself still waiting for Marluxia. As much as Sora loved his brother, Roxas just didn't understand those kinds of things. He'd never been in love, nor had he ever even been interested in serious relationships.

Sora sighed softly. "No," he repeated, giving a small shake of his head. "He was just...interesting." Riku, huh?

* * *

Another week later, and Axel was leaning over the bakery counter with a thoughtful frown on his face as he watched Sora pulling a tray of cookies from the oven. When he'd first seen Sora that night, now already an entire month ago, it had only been a sarcastic joke to offer him a job. He had to say, the kid was a strange one. He seemed cheerful so much of the time, but Axel could tell there was something beneath that cheer. He'd caught bits and pieces of Sora and Roxas talking, and he'd seen it on the boy's face whenever he zoned out. Axel liked to play the part of ignorant imbecile (it was more fun that way, after all), but he actually was much more thoughtful and observant than most people gave him credit for. Despite all of that, though, Sora had brought with him a certain light - a unique warmth that drew people to him. The customers absolutely adored him.

Of course, he'd brought something else with him, too. That something being the delightfully attractive Roxas, upon whom Axel now turned his gaze. Axel was impulsive, and he tended to make his impressions of people the second he met them. And from the moment he had walked in on the little blonde bomb going off in the shop, he'd wanted him. Admittedly, at the first moment, it had been a purely physical desire - Axel was used to that. But it was more than that now. From their daily bantering to that annoyed pout Roxas made when Axel finally pegged him, the redhead _wanted _him. And not just in the one-night-stand kind of way.

But even that wasn't all Sora had done. Over the course of that month, the kid had also managed to turn his legitimate business into a damn hang-out joint.

Roxas was seated at a table by the window, his laptop propped open as he typed away. He now liked to get out of the apartment and do some of his work at the bakery. Not that Axel actually minded him hanging around; the scenery was more than welcome.

Cloud had also been showing up much more than he ever had before. He was currently sprawled out comfortably at another table, having just returned from running a job.

Glancing up from his computer, Roxas asked, "So, Cloud, what is it you do, anyway?"

"I run a service - I transport important documents and other goods."

"He's a delivery boy," Axel simplified rudely.

Roxas snorted at Axel's blunt manner, but quickly disguised it beneath a cough. He'd die before letting that obnoxious redhead know he thought he was funny.

Cloud had heard it, though, and he glowered at both of them.

"It's Friday. Let's celebrate the weekend," Axel suddenly declared, utterly unphased by Cloud's fixed glare. The others all turned to look at him with quizzical faces; rather than be deterred, however, the looks only prompted him onward. "Y'know, a big party. Tonight. At my place. Sor, Rox, you should both come."

"You mean _our_ place," Cloud reminded him dryly. "I'm glad you went ahead and decided this without asking me."

Axel only grinned back at him, not even bothering to put on a facade of shame. Just as Sora and Roxas both started to open their mouths with excuses why they couldn't go, Axel quickly added, "And by 'should,' I mean 'must.' I'm your boss, Sora, so you can't say no to me. And Roxas, you wouldn't let your brother go all alone, would you?"

Roxas immediately frowned. That conniving bitch.

* * *

So, finally got Riku in there! I promise there'll be more of him in the next chapter, haha, since there wasn't much of him in this one. xD

ALSO. Thank you so, so much to everyone who has reviewed, faved and/or alerted this story - I really appreciate it, you guys are awesome~ :D I hope I haven't disappointed you with this chapter, lol...


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